Pick-your-own Christmas trees
Just when you thought Christmas couldn’t get any more magical, here we are with a list of places across the country where you can actually pick your own Christmas tree. To find more festive farm shops offering wintry fun, family Christmas tree picking, and Christmas food and farm experiences this year, order your coy of the #1 bestseller, The Farm Shop Guide, today.
Pick-your-own Christmas tree in Essex at Lathcoats Farm
Apple lovers – look no further. Fifty varieties are grown here at Lathcoats Farm over the growing season, lovingly nurtured since great-grandfather Taylor set up a fruit farm in 1912 to supply London’s Covent Garden. Sample a few in the shop or as a home-pressed apple juice; fermented versions are available for grown-ups. You’ll find them alongside still-warm bread, and a range of products from small, independent businesses across East Anglia: perhaps Suffolk salami, Latchingdon lamb, heritage tomatoes, or thick farm cream. The Bee Shed Café serves simple lunches crafted with the same tasty produce found in the shop. Grab a famous rarebit and – weather permitting – enjoy it out in the ‘Pig Pen’ while the kids visit the animals in the petting farm. The café does takeaway drinks and cakes if you’re short on time. In winter, it’s the ideal place to come to pick your own Christmas tree. Always check ahead for any availability or booking requirements.
Visit Lathcoats online to organise your Christmas farm experience today.
Head to Hawarden Estate Farm Shop for PYO Christmas trees in North Wales
In winter, the Hawarden Estate in Flintshire is the ideal place to cut your own Christmas tree and for solo and family-friendly Christmas experiences. A contagious enthusiasm for sustainability permeates this first-rate Flintshire farm shop, which is just 15 minutes from Chester. Seasonal fruit and veg are grown here and the milk from the machine is produced by the happy Ayrshire cows across the road. The 100-year-old PYO fields offer abundant summer and autumn spoils; September’s pumpkin picking is popular. Visit the airy café to taste the difference that provenance makes to flavour: try an estate-plundered breakfast, smoked trout sandwich, or Welsh rump steak. It is part of the enormous Harwarden Estate which has its own private lake, walled garden, and campsite if you want to soak up the peace of the countryside as you toast marshmallows over the campfire in summer. In winter, it’s the place to go for PYO Christmas trees. Always check ahead for any availability or booking requirements.
Visit the Hawarden Estate website to plan your Christmas experience.
PYO Christmas trees in Dorset at Gullivers Farm, Shop and Kitchen
Family-friendly café and shop, and biodynamic working farm, Gulliver’s is one-of-a-kind. Not for its summer shelves which are laden with seasonal fruits and vegetables, fresh bread, artisanal cheeses, zero-waste refills, and organic meats, but for its inclusive ethos. This not-for-profit social enterprise was created by GB Paralympian and silver medallist Bethy Woodward and her husband, retired international athlete, Lee Doran, to help adults with support needs shine. Those companions man the tills, tend the animals and polytunnels (veg, meat, eggs, and milk are produced here), and help ply tables with seasonal delights. It is a Dorset haven that feels worlds away from bustling Bournemouth nearby. Check out Wellness Yurt events and café supper clubs. Make time for the buggy, dementia, and dog-friendly Nature Trail. In winter, it’s a top spot for pick-your-own Christmas trees, as well as warming hot chocolates, delicious cakes, and an unforgettable Christmassy vibe. Always check ahead for any availability or booking requirements.
Visit Gullivers Farm to plan your PYO Christmas tree mission.
Pick your own Christmas tree at Newton Farm Shop and Café
In the picturesque village of Newton St Loe, near Bath, is the cosy Newton Farm Shop. In summer, pass barrows of blooms to find shelves and fridges crammed with local dairy products, charcuterie, and stylish homeware and gifts (the rows of artisanal beers, ciders and wines will seriously impress). This is a family-run farm and fourth-generation farmer, Josh, is passionate about regenerative practices that improve soil quality and capture carbon. He’s busy raising cattle, sheep, and pigs to keep the farm shop butchery counter brimming with home-produced beef, pork, and lamb, alongside local chicken and poultry. There are piglets, goats, wildlife-packed hedgerows, and a gorgeous 1950s tractor to keep children entertained, while you enjoy a coffee and a bite to eat in the excellent café. In winter, it’s just the place for you to come to pick your own Christmas tree. Always check ahead for any availability or booking requirements.
Find Newton Farm Shop and Café online.
Visit Spring Lane Farm Shop in Nottinghamshire to pick your own Christmas tree
Spring Lane’s oak-framed and sometimes flower-wreathed porch (in summer) gives way to a barn of delights. Regulars say their food
is ‘some of the best around’, particularly recommending the ribeye steaks, sausage rolls, freshly squeezed orange juice, and relishes. Sausages are a speciality and bread is baked on site every day, as are the cakes. Warm, friendly staff are on hand to answer any ‘how to cook it’ queries. The Spencer family first tended these fields in 1939. In the 1960s they began selling eggs and spuds from their front door and… we know the rest. Today’s farm shop still stands alongside the family’s mixed working farm, which is home to a herd of cattle, a flock of sheep, and crops of wheat and potatoes. Book a lamb bottle-feeding slot in spring for a joyful, tail-wiggling half hour in the sheep crêche. In winter, come to Spring Lane, a festive farm shop during the winter season, to pick your own Christmas trees as part of a magical, memorable day out.
Want to ‘PYO’ Christmas tree in Aberdeenshire? Head to Westerton Farm
The Gammie family have farmed in the Mearns for over 100 years. In that time, they’ve reared pigs and cattle, and grown flowers, potatoes, and strawberries. The focus now is on hypnotic fields of wheat and barley, with a few hectares for scrumptious, sea-breeze-bathed veggies and pumpkins. The rustic Farm to Table shop has crates of their own vegetables, local produce, and a good refill section.
Fridges of local meats, cheeses, and juices mean you can easily do the weekly shop here. Loitering is encouraged, with a kids’ play area, picnic benches, goats, and alpacas to visit; the barn is often open with kids activities, farmers’ markets, and pop-up shops. The log-burner warmed café is known for its comfy armchairs, hot drinks, toasties, and pastries – as well as serving homemade soups, bakes, and salads. In winter, the show goes on; call ahead to check on availability and opening hours then head over to pick your own Christmas tree at the wonderful Westerton Farm.
Find Westerton Farm online to organise your pick-your-own Christmas tree experience.
Find ‘cut your own Christmas tree’ locations and so much more with The Farm Shop Guide
The Farm Shop Guide (shown below over its fantastic coverage in The Times Weekend, October 2024), is an essential guide for the glovebox or coffee table of anyone who loves seeking out, supporting and celebrating local food, farms, and farm shops and cafés.
From wintry, festive and Christmassy farm experiences to farm shop cafés that can offer memorable moments in the company of your family, your dog, or simply your wonderful self, it’s packed with 165 places that offer something for everyone. Enjoy picking your own Christmas trees across Britain this winter, and use the blue button below to get your copy of the guide. It’s the perfect stocking filler for your foodie friends, and for anyone who cares about where their food comes from.
